Two Gallants (short story)
| "Two Gallants" | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Joyce |
| Country |
 Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | short story |
| Published in | Dubliners |
| Publication type | Collection |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | 1914 |
| Preceded by | "After the Race" |
| Followed by | "The Boarding House" |
"Two Gallants" is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection Dubliners. It tells the story of two Irish gentlemen who are fairly frustrated with their lack of achievement in life and rely on exploitation of others to live.[1] Joyce considered the story to be one of the most important in Dubliners.[2]
Publication history
The London house of Grant Richards agreed to publish Dubliners in 1905, but there were concerns about certain passages in the collection that halted publication. One of the stories with passages in question was “Two Gallants.”[3] In a letter to Grant Richards, Joyce voiced his fondness of the story saying “to omit the story from the book would really be disastrous. It is one of the most important stories in the book. I would rather sacrifice five of the other stories (which I could name) than this one.”[2] Joyce redacted some words from the end product, but the story was kept in the collection which was published by Richards nine years after Joyce originally submitted it in 1905.
Plot summary
In the evening, a young man named Corley is walking with his friend Lenehan and telling him about a woman he has seduced. A rendezvous has been arranged with the woman and Corley, during which Lenehan wanders around Dublin before sitting down to a supper of peas. During his solitude, Lenehan contemplates his current state of being at the age of thirty-one, and is unsatisfied with his life. He dreams of settling down with a "simple-minded" woman. After eating, Lenehan wanders around a bit more before meeting up with Corley at a previously arranged time. Corley presents him with a gold coin the woman stole from her employer on his behalf, which is a turn-around from past relationships Corley had where he would have to spend money on women. Together, Lenehan and Corley go off with the coin that Corley’s woman stole.[4]
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